Internet forum management method

ABSTRACT

A method of automatically managing an Internet forum is disclosed. Metatags are created from user searches. When a user enters text and searches for a particular topic a list of content or topics containing the text or relevant to the text are presented to the user. If the search text is new a metatag of the search text is created. If the text has been entered before, the metatag is updated to hyperlink to the current data and the popularity and content quantity are updated. A list of popular metatags is provided on the main page of the forum. The metatags are sorted according to their popularity with the most popular metatags at the top of the list and descending to less popular metatags. When a metatag is selected, content relevant to or associated with the metatag is displayed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to internet forums. More specifically, thepresent invention provides a method of automatically creating andmaintaining internet forums utilizing metatags to sort and search forcontent.

2. Description of the Prior Art

There are an increasing number of ways Internet users can interact. Oneexample is Internet chat. Using a chat program two users can interact bytyping messages to each other. While useful, the chat program requiresthat both users are online at the same time as the chatting takes placein real time. This isn't practical in situations where the physicallocation of the users prevents them from doing so.

A more flexible means of interaction or communication between multipleusers is a bulletin board or web forum service. Using the web forumusers can post messages, topics, or replies and other users can respondat a time that is convenient to the user.

The conventional web or Internet forum typically has a home page whichconsists of a multiple number of main topics or categories. A forum userselects which category they are interested in and they are presentedwith a screen of thread titles pertaining to the main category. The userthen navigates through the various threads by selecting the titles thatappear to be interesting.

Traditionally users must select threads based solely on the title of athread. The user does not know what the contents of the threads areuntil they enter the thread. If threads are improperly or inaccuratelytitled the user may not look at the thread or the user may waste timelooking at threads they really weren't interested in. As a result, usersbecome frustrated or lose interest in the forum and no longer visit theforum site.

Additionally, the conventional web forum must employ moderators who moveposts to a more appropriate location when posts are posted in the wronglocation. This is time consuming and wastes the moderator's effort toimprove the web forum.

Therefore, there is need for an improved method of creating and managingan Internet forum that presents threads based upon content rather thantopics or titles in order to provide accurate and appropriate content tousers thereby improving user satisfaction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To achieve these and other advantages and in order to overcome thedisadvantages of the conventional method in accordance with the purposeof the invention as embodied and broadly described herein, the presentinvention provides a method of automatically managing an Internet forumby providing content related to or associated with metatags.

In the present invention metatags are created from user searches. When auser enters text and searches for a particular topic a list of topics orthreads containing the text or relevant to the text are presented to theuser. If the search text is new a metatag of the search text is created.If the text has been entered before, the metatag is updated to hyperlinkto the current data. Additionally, the popularity and content quantityare updated.

A list of popular metatags is provided on the main page of the forum.The metatags are sorted according to their popularity with the mostpopular metatags at the top of the list and descending to less popularmetatags. Additionally, the font size of metatags is relational to theamount of content relevant to the metatags. The font size of metatagshyperlinking a large amount of content is larger than metatagshyperlinking a smaller amount of content. Furthermore, the color of themetatag indicates the popularity, amount of content, category, orcontent. In this way users can quickly locate hot topics or largeamounts of content.

In the present invention users determine hot topics by the number oftimes the metatag for the topic has been selected or the number of timesthe metatag text has been searched for. The more users that select themetatag makes the metatag take a more prominent position in the list.

When a user clicks on a metatag a screen is displayed showing a list ofcontent or posts relevant to the metatag. Since the present inventionautomatically locates and displays the relevant content moderation isnot required to sort or re-sort posts or threads. Additionally, postsand threads do not have to be posted in a forum category. Users simplypost to a thread and the thread will show up when a metatag relevant tothe thread is selected by a user.

As a result, the present invention provides an automatic forummanagement system that improves user experience by providing moreaccurate content and reduces the workload of the forum managers.

These and other objectives of the present invention will become obviousto those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the followingdetailed description of preferred embodiments.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended toprovide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of theinvention and, together with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating an Internet forum home page accordingto an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2A is a drawing illustrating an Internet forum thread listaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2B is a drawing illustrating an Internet forum thread listaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3A is a drawing illustrating an Internet forum main page withsearch function according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3B is a drawing illustrating a search results page according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of managing an Internetforum according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of updating a metatagaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of managing an interactiveweb-based forum according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a drawing illustrating an Internet forum thread list with aranked content list according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in thedrawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.

Refer to FIG. 1, which is a drawing illustrating an Internet forum homepage according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the forum home page 100 comprises a metatag list 110displayed on a user's electronic device such as a computer, PDA, orcellular telephone. The metatag list 110 is sorted from most popularmetatag to less popular metatags. For example, the metatag “Movies” ismore popular that the metatag “Basketball”.

The font size of metatags is relational to the amount of contentrelevant to the metatags. The font size of metatags hyperlinking a largeamount of content is larger than metatags hyperlinking a smaller amountof content. For example, the metatag “Sports” is associated with alarger amount of content that the metatag “Food”.

Additionally, in an embodiment of the present invention the color of themetatag indicates the amount of content associated with the metatag. Inthis way users can quickly locate large amounts of content.

In another embodiment of the present invention the color of the metatagtext indicates the popularity of the metatag.

The Internet forum home page 100 further comprises a search functionwith search text input area 120 and search icon 130. This allows usersto enter text and search for content that they are interested in.

The remainder of the home page displays newly added content, popularcontent, advertising, or other information.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the home page 100 displaysonly a metatag list 110 and the search function. In this way, a maximumnumber of metatags can be displayed.

Refer to FIG. 2A, which is a drawing illustrating an Internet forumthread list according to an embodiment of the present invention.

When a user selects or clicks a metatag, a thread or content listingpage 200 is displayed showing a list of threads or content 240associated or relevant to the selected metatag. The thread list 240 is ascrollable page of thread titles that are hyperlinked to the actualthread or content. A user simply clicks on a thread title that they areinterested in and the thread with all the posts in the thread isdisplayed.

Since all of the displayed thread titles in the thread list 240 arerelevant to the selected metatag users can easily locate threads orcontent that they want and don't waste time or lose interest inparticipating in the Internet forum. As a result, user satisfaction isincreased and the Internet forum becomes more popular.

Furthermore, the thread list page 240 comprises a thread metatag list210. In an embodiment of the present invention the thread metatag list210 is similar to the main page hyperlink list. For example, a list ofthe most popular metatags is displayed first and the currently selectedmetatag is not displayed in the thread metatag list. This allows usersto quickly jump to other content associated with another metatag.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 2A, the user selected the “Food”metatag. While displaying the content associated with the “Food”metatag, the metatag is removed from the metatag list 210.

Refer to FIG. 2B, which is a drawing illustrating an Internet forumthread list according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In another embodiment of the present invention the thread metatag list210 comprises a list of metatags that are related to or relevant to thecurrently selected metatag. For example, if a user selects metatag“Sports” the thread metatag list 210 displays metatags such as“Basketball”, “Baseball”, and “Football”. This allows users to easilyfind specific content or threads or narrow their search for threads.

In this embodiment, when a user clicks on a first metatag a thread list240 is displayed showing titles of threads associated with the firstmetatag. The thread metatag list 210 displays a list of metatagsrelevant to the first metatag. When a user clicks on a second metatag athread list is displayed showing titles of threads associated with thesecond metatag and the thread metatag list displays a list of metatagsrelevant to the second metatag. In this way, users can more easilyisolate and locate specific threads or content.

Refer to FIG. 3A, which is a drawing illustrating an Internet forum mainpage with search function according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

The forum main page 100, thread list page, and actual thread pagescomprise a search function with search text input area 120 and searchicon 130. This allows users to enter text and search for threads thatthey are interested in at any time while navigating the Internet forum.

As shown in FIG. 3A, when a user chooses to search for content the userinputs search terms or text in the search input area 120. After enteringthe search terms the user selects the search icon 130 and a search isperformed to locate threads or content relevant to the search terms.

In this example the user input the search terms “Computer Performance”in the search input area 120. After selecting the search icon 130 asearch reveals content related to computer performance.

Refer to FIG. 3B, which is a drawing illustrating a search results pageaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

When the search is complete a search results page 300 is displayedshowing a list of content or threads 340 that are relevant or related tothe search terms. The user can select the content or thread that theywant to interact with or view and the content is displayed.

In situations where the search terms have not been used previously, anew metatag is created and content relevant to the search terms isassociated with the new metatag.

In an embodiment of the present invention the method is applied to amultimedia forum. A plurality of video content, for example usersupplied content, is provided on a network server. Users of themultimedia forum select a metatag from the metatag list and arepresented with a list of multimedia content relevant to the selectedmetatag. Users can select content to view or select another metatag.

When a user selects a metatag popularity is updated and the metatags areresorted according to popularity. Additionally, when a user selectscontent the metatag or metatags associated with the content are updated.Since the metatag list is continuously updated users can quickly locatethe most popular or hottest content.

Refer to FIG. 4, which is a flowchart illustrating a method of managingan Internet forum according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4, the method 400 begins in Step 410 by providing asearch function to allow users to search for content relevant to asearch term or terms. A user inputs a search term in Step 420 andselects the search icon in Step 430. In Step 440 a search is performedto locate content that is related to or relevant to the search term anda list of the relevant content is displayed in Step 450. In Step 460 thenovelty of the search term is determined. If this is the first time thatthe search term has been used a metatag is created related to the searchterm in Step 470. If the search term has been used previously, themetatag related to the search term is updated in Step 480.

Refer to FIG. 5, which is a flowchart illustrating a method of updatinga metatag according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The method of updating a metatag 500 comprises maintaining a popularityrating for each metatag in Step 510. When a metatag is selected or asearch term related to a metatag is used the popularity rating for themetatag is updated to reflect the popularity of the metatag in Step 520.A metatag list is maintained by sorting and displaying metatagsaccording to their popularity in Step 530. The popularity of a metatagis determined in Step 540 to see if the popularity rating is above athreshold.

If the popularity rating of the metatag reaches a threshold orpredetermined level of popularity, the metatag is added to the metataglist in Step 550. If the popularity rating of a metatag drops below thethreshold, the metatag is removed from the metatag list in Step 560.

Refer to FIG. 6, which is a flowchart illustrating a method of managingan interactive web-based forum according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

The method 600 begins in Step 610 by sorting metatags according to eachmetatag's popularity ranking. Next, in Step 620 the font size andmetatag color are set according to the amount of content that isassociated with the metatag. A metatag list comprising a plurality ofmetatags sorted in descending order according to popularity is providedin Step 630. The number of metatags shown in the metatag list isadjustable in order to meet requirements.

When a user selects a metatag from the metatag list, a list of contentassociated with or relevant to the metatag is displayed in Step 640. Inaddition to the list of content the popularity ranked metatag list isalso displayed in Step 650. The metatag list is the same as the originallist however the currently selected metatag is not displayed in thelist.

If a user selects a particular content from the content list in Step 660the content is displayed in Step 670. If a user selects a metatag fromthe metatag list, a list of content relevant to the selected metatag isdisplayed in Step 680.

Over the course of time if a metatag's popularity ranking drops below athreshold or is surpassed by more metatags than the metatag listcomprises, the metatag is removed from the metatag list.

Refer to FIG. 7, which is a drawing illustrating an Internet forumthread list with a ranked content list according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7, the present invention 700comprises a thread list 710 and a ranked content list 720. The threadlist 710 is a list of forum topics sorted by ranking or popularity. Thethread list 710 is a page of thread titles that are hyperlinks to theactual thread or content. A user simply clicks on a thread title thatthey are interested in and the thread with all the posts in the threadis displayed.

The ranked content list 720 is a list of available content that issorted by ranking. This allows users to easily locate the most popularor most highly ranked content. By clicking on one of the content itemsshown in the ranked content list 720 a user is able to view the content.

In an embodiment of the present invention a thumbnail is displayed nextto each item in the ranked content list showing a frame or part of thecontent. This further allows users to locate interesting content.

By providing a list of threads next to the list of ranked content userscan interact with the content and threads more efficiently. For example,users can post discussion in threads nearby where the ranked contentlist is displayed. This promotes interaction between users.

In an embodiment of the present invention each page of thread listscomprises a ranked content list of content related to the threads in thethread lists. This allows users to quickly locate the content discussedin the threads on that page. Users do not have to switch between pagesto discuss and locate content.

As described, the present invention provides an efficient and effectivemethod for managing and maintaining an interactive Internet forum. Themethod allows the forum to be automatically managed by providing contentrelative or related to metatags or search terms. Users can easily locateand interact with content without browsing through content sorted bycategory. Additionally, forum moderation isn't required to sort,re-sort, or re-file content. As a result, user satisfaction is increasedand forum management is simplified.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made to the present inventionwithout departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view ofthe foregoing, it is intended that the present invention covermodifications and variations of this invention provided they fall withinthe scope of the invention and its equivalent.

1. A method of managing an Internet forum comprising: providing ametatag list comprising a plurality of metatags sorted by popularity,each metatag associated with content relevant to the metatag; andproviding a content list of content relevant to a selected metatag. 2.The method of managing an Internet forum of claim 1, further comprising:providing a search function to allow a user to search for contentrelevant to a search term.
 3. The method of managing an Internet forumof claim 2, further comprising: providing a search results list ofcontent relevant to the search term.
 4. The method of managing anInternet forum of claim 1, each metatag's size related to an amount ofcontent associated with the metatag.
 5. The method of managing anInternet forum of claim 1, each metatag's color related to an amount ofcontent associated with the metatag.
 6. The method of managing anInternet forum of claim 2, further comprising: creating a new metatagfrom the search term when the search term hasn't been used previously.7. The method of managing an Internet forum of claim 1, furthercomprising: updating the metatag list.
 8. The method of managing anInternet forum of claim 7, the updating comprising: re-sorting themetatags in the metatag list according to popularity.
 9. The method ofmanaging an Internet forum of claim 7, the updating comprising: changingcolor of metatags according to amount of content associated with themetatags.
 10. The method of managing an Internet forum of claim 7, theupdating comprising: changing size of metatags according to amount ofcontent associated with the metatags.
 11. The method of managing anInternet forum of claim 1, further comprising: providing a contentmetatag list comprising a plurality of metatags relevant to a selectedmetatag.
 12. A method of managing an interactive web-based forumcomprising: creating a metatag from a search term; maintaining apopularity ranking for the metatag; adding the metatag to a metatag listwhen the popularity ranking reaches a predetermined level; and providinga list of content relevant to the metatag when the metatag is selected.13. The method of managing an interactive web-based forum of claim 12,further comprising: updating the metatag list.
 14. The method ofmanaging an interactive web-based forum of claim 13, the updatingcomprising: re-sorting the metatags in the metatag list according topopularity.
 15. The method of managing an interactive web-based forum ofclaim 13, the updating comprising: changing color of metatags accordingto amount of content associated with the metatags.
 16. The method ofmanaging an interactive web-based forum of claim 13, the updatingcomprising: changing size of metatags according to amount of contentassociated with the metatags.
 17. The method of managing an interactiveweb-based forum of claim 12, further comprising: providing a searchfunction to allow a user to search for content relevant to a searchterm.
 18. The method of managing an interactive web-based forum of claim17, further comprising: providing a search results list of contentrelevant to the search term.
 19. The method of managing an interactiveweb-base forum of claim 12, each metatag's size related to an amount ofcontent associated with the metatag.
 20. A method of managing aninteractive web-based forum comprising: providing a search function toallow a user to search for content relevant to a search term; creating ametatag from the search term if the search term hasn't been usedpreviously; maintaining a popularity ranking for the metatag; adding themetatag to a metatag list when the popularity ranking reaches apredetermined level; and providing a list of content relevant to themetatag when the metatag is selected.
 21. A method of managing aninteractive web-based forum comprising: providing a thread list showinga list of forum topics; and providing a content list showing availablecontent, the content list sorted by ranking.
 22. The method of managingan interactive web-based forum of claim 21, wherein the thread listsorted by ranking.